Tomato sauce
If you've seen Ratatouille, you know that part of what we do when we cook and eat, is look for the flavors that we remember from childhood. For me that flavor is of tomato sauce, made with ripe tomatoes, cooked to perfection in an iron pan, and seasoned maybe a bit too much. I have never been able to recreate that sauce, even though I used to make it myself. Deep inside I think it was the iron pan, that it gave it something I can't get anywhere else. I can't get that iron pan back, but I can create the flavors my daughter will remember when she grows up, so there's that.
A key part of this recipe is seasoning. However I keep the recipe vague, because I want you to taste the sauce and decide what you want it to taste like. Salt and pepper must be your basics. I like a strong savory taste, so I use parsley and cumin. If you want a more sweet flavor, use oregano, and you even get to call it marinara. For more ideas of what you can try, check out this fantastic Infographic Guide to Spices from CookSmarts.
This tomato sauce is of course intended for pasta, but there are many more things you can do with it. You can add it to eggs for a quicker version of eggs perico. Spanish people spread it on toast and eat it for breakfast. Spread it on any kind of bread, with cheese, and heat up in the oven for instant pizza. Find 50 more ideas from the Food Network, with one-line instructions, which are mi favorite kind.
Ingredients
- 4-6 tomatoes (roma or vine)
- 2 medium onions
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 cup of water
- 2 tbs olive oil
- Seasoning: Salt, pepper, cumin, dried parsley. About 4 shakes of it.
Preparation
Cut the tomatoes in halves, peel the onions and and cut them in half, peel the garlic. Throw everything in the vase of a blender, with the water. Process at the highest speed until fully mixed.
Heat up the oil in a large pan, in medium high fire. Pour the tomato mix in, add your seasoning and let it cook for 30 minutes, mixing every once in a while. It will turn a dark, vibrant red. Taste and adjust seasoning.
